The album leads with the '60s-flavored "O Divina," followed by the cool "My Dark Places." Vocally he sounds as good as he did in 1987 on his debut The Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, and the musicianship on Wildcard is fresh, inventive and at times a little spooky. That said, D'Arby's/Maitreya's strengths lie his experimentations and his harmonies. His songwriting tends to plumb the emotional depths of relationships while mixing sounds from various genres, as evidenced on the tender ballad "Love Can You Hear Me?" and the synthefried "Drivin' Me Crazy." More Beatles than say, Prince, D'Arby/Maitreya unveils his influences from the '50s till now with songs like the easy stroll of "Ev'rythang" and the funky bop of "Sayin' About You." Lightly glazed with rock and soul, and just a smattering of hip hop, Wildcard will undoubtedly satisfy D'Arby's/Maitreya's long time fans. Wildcard is currently available only as an import.

First published: January 16, 2002